"For each individual or group I name, please tell
me what kind of job you think it's done dealing
with the events of September 11th and the war on terrorism: excellent, good,
not so good or poor. . . ."
Each item asked of half the sample

Excellent/
Good

Not So
Good/Poor

No
Opinion

%

%

%

The
people of New York City

92

3

4

The
U.S. armed forces

92

6

3

The
country in general

85

14

1

The Department of
Homeland Security

67

26

7

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld

67

26

7

The
news media

66

33

1

The
U.S. Justice Department

59

35

6

The
Bush Administration

55

44

1

Attorney General John Ashcroft

54

36

10

The
FBI

52

39

10

The
CIA and other intelligence agencies

52

41

6

.

"Now for each country I name, please tell me if
you think it has or has not done enough to support the U.S. campaign against
terrorism. . . ."
Each item asked of half the sample

Has Done
Enough

Has Not

No
Opinion

%

%

%

Great Britain

79

14

8

Pakistan

21

66

13

Germany

18

69

13

Russia

17

75

8

Saudi Arabia

17

75

8

France

10

82

8

.

"How concerned are you about
the chance that you personally might be the victim of a terrorist attack?
Does that worry you a great deal, somewhat, not too much or not at
all?"

"How likely do you think it is that an act of
terrorism will occur somewhere in the United States in the next 12 months:
very likely, somewhat likely, not very likely or not at all likely?"

Very

Somewhat

Not Very

Not At All

Not
Sure

%

%

%

%

%

9/03

23

49

18

8

2

10/02

39

44

11

3

3

8/02

29

50

14

5

2

5/02

57

33

6

3

1

1/02

33

48

14

4

1

12/01

38

43

13

3

3

11/01

52

35

7

3

3

9/27/01

40

41

14

3

2

Pew
Research Center for the People & the Press survey conducted by Princeton Survey
Research Associates.
July 14-Aug. 5, 2003.N=2,528
adults nationwide.MoE ±
2 (total sample).

.

"In your opinion, is the world now more dangerous,
less dangerous, or about the same comparedto 10years ago?"
Form 1 (N=1,284, MoE ± 3.5)

More

Less

Same

.

.

%

%

%

.

.

7-8/03

75

5

20

.

.

.

"Do you think the danger of attack on the United
States with a nuclear, biological, orchemical
weapon is greater now than it was 10 years ago, less now than it was 10
yearsago, or is it about the same?"
Form 2 (N=1,244, MoE ± 3.5)

"When you think
about the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on
September 11, 2001, do you place a lot of blame, some blame, or no blame at
all on the United States intelligence agencies like the CIA and the FBI?"

"Thinking
about terrorism: In the next few years, do you think the United States'
efforts against terrorism will or will not require the U.S. to put
military troops in combat situations in other countries as it did in Iraq
and Afghanistan?"

"How likely do you think it is that homicide and
suicide bombings, similar to those that happen in the Middle East, will
start happening here in the U.S. . . . ?"

Very
Likely

Somewhat
Likely

Not
Very
Likely

Not
At All
Likely

Not
Sure

%

%

%

%

%

3/03

24

40

20

8

8

.

"Do you think the federal government is doing everything
it can to prevent terrorist activity in the U.S.?"

Yes

No

Not
Sure

.

%

%

%

.

3/03

67

27

6

.

6/02

55

37

8

.

.

"Do you favor or oppose allowing the government to use
any means necessary, including physical torture, to obtain information from
prisoners that might protect the United States from terrorist attacks?"

"Since the
terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the government
has issued warnings about possible attacks on Americans abroad and in the
United States. Do you think the warnings have been useful, or harmful or
neither?"

"Bush Administration military policy calls
for attacking countries or groups that threaten the United States BEFORE
there have been any actual attacks against Americans or U.S. interests. Do
you think this policy is a GOOD THING because preemptive strikes are needed
to deal with the threats we face after September 11th, or is a BAD THING
because it goes against American ideals and sets a bad example that would
encourage other countries to do the same?"

"If another terrorist attack were to happen
in the United States and cause large numbers of American lives to be lost,
would you favor or oppose a military retaliation on the home country of the
terrorists?"

Favor

Oppose

Not
Sure

%

%

%

12/02

72

11

17

.

"Do you think the recently created Department
of Homeland Security will make the United States safer from terrorism or
will it mostly increase Washington bureaucracy?"

%

Make the U.S. safer

30

Mostly increase bureaucracy

39

Some of both (vol.)

13

Neither (vol.)

3

Not sure

15

.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the
nomination of former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge to be the Secretary of
the Department of Homeland Security?"

Approve

Disap-
prove

Not
Sure

%

%

%

12/02

41

11

48

.

"Do you think the recently created
independent commission to investigate how terrorists were able to strike on
September 11 will come up with new information, or is everything already
pretty much known?"

%

Will come up with new information

42

Everything pretty much known

43

Not sure

15

.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the
selection of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to head the
commission investigating the September 11 terrorist attacks?"

"Which do you think presents
more of a real danger right now: nuclear weapons or chemical and biological
weapons?"

Nuclear

Chemical/
Bio

Equal
(vol.)

Don't
Know

%

%

%

%

11/02

7

64

25

4

.

"How well prepared do you think the U.S.
government is to handle terrorist attacks using chemical or biological
weapons . . . ?"

Very

Some-
what

Not
Very

Not At
All

Not
Sure

%

%

%

%

%

11/02

8

43

31

10

8

.

"How well prepared would you say you and your
family are if a chemical or biological attack were to happen in your area
. . . ?"

Very

Some-
what

Not
Very

Not At
All

Not
Sure

%

%

%

%

%

11/02

3

11

30

53

3

.

"Do you think the al Qaeda terrorist network poses
more of a threat or less of a threat to the United States today than it did
over a year ago, or is the threat today about the same as it was over a year
ago?"

More

Less

Same

Not
Sure

%

%

%

%

11/02

27

21

49

3

.

"A new audiotape confirms that Usama bin Laden is
still alive. Does knowing bin Laden is still alive make you think additional
terrorist attacks are more likely, less likely, or do you think it doesn't
matter if he is alive or not?"

"Just your best guess: Do
you think Osama
bin Laden is alive or dead?"

Alive

Dead

Not
Sure

%

%

%

11/02

83

10

7

8/02

81

13

6

6/02

78

13

9

.

"As you may know, a tape was released that may be
the voice of Osama bin Laden threatening the United States and its allies.
Does this make you more worried that an act of terrorism will occur in the
United States or doesn't it make you any more worried?"

"Since the terrorist attacks on
the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, do you think the federal government
has done all it could reasonably be expected to do to make the country safe
from future terrorist attacks, or could the government have done more?"

"Please
tell me whether you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is
handling each of the following specific aspects of his job. Do you approve
or disapprove of the way he is handling [see below]?"

Approve

Disap-
prove

Don't
Know

%

%

%

The war against
terrorism overseas

9/02

70

23

7

5/02

76

20

4

2/02

86

11

3

.

Policies to
prevent and minimize terrorism at home

9/02

73

21

6

5/02

71

23

6

2/02

82

14

4

.

"In creating a new Department of Homeland
Security, the Bush Administration wants to remove
union status from approximately 170,000 workers, in order to have greater
authority to hire, fire and deploy workers. Do you approve of this proposal
to remove the union status of current workers in a new Homeland Security
Department, OR do you think these workers should keep their union status?"

ALL

Repub-
licans

Demo-
crats

Indepen-
dents

%

%

%

%

Remove union status

23

37

13

21

They should keep union status

65

45

80

68

Don't know

12

18

7

11

CBS NewsPoll. Sept. 22-23,
2002. N=903 adults
nationwide. MoE ± 3.

.

"What
is your impression of how the war in Afghanistan is going for the United
States right now: very well, somewhat well, somewhat badly, or very badly?"

"How well prepared do you think your local authorities
are to handle a terrorist attack in your area: very well prepared, somewhat
prepared, not very prepared, or not at all prepared?"

Very
Well

Somewhat

Not
Very

Not at
All

Unsure

%

%

%

%

%

9/02

17

41

18

13

11

7/02

16

41

20

15

8

.

"Which terrorist activity do you think is the
biggest threat right now: chemical or biological
weapons, truck or car bombs, planes
being hijacked and crashed, or tactical nuclear weapons or dirty bombs?"

"For each individual or group I name, please tell
me what kind of job you think it's done dealing
with the events of September 11th and the war on terrorism: excellent, good,
not so good or poor. . . ."

Excellent/
Good

Not So
Good/
Poor

No
Opinion

%

%

%

The
U.S. armed forces

94

4

1

The
people of New York City

93

5

2

The
country in general

84

14

1

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld

76

20

4

The
Red Cross, United Way and other charities

76

21

3

The
Bush Administration

73

26

1

The
news media

68

31

1

Attorney General John Ashcroft

67

25

8

The
U.S. Justice Department

65

32

4

The
FBI

56

40

4

The
CIA and other intelligence agencies

55

40

5

The
Immigration and Naturalization Service

36

58

5

.

"Now for each country I name, please tell me if
you think it has or has not done enough to support the U.S. campaign against
terrorism. . . ."

Has Done
Enough

Has Not

No
Opinion

%

%

%

Great Britain

76

17

6

Germany

39

48

13

France

33

56

11

Russia

29

63

8

Pakistan

23

70

7

Saudi Arabia

12

81

7

.

"Do you think
the most difficult part of the war on terrorism is over, or do you think the
most difficult part is yet to come?"

Over

Yet To
Come

No
Opinion

%

%

%

9/02

16

82

3

.

"For
each item I name, please tell me whether you think the United States has
done an excellent job on it, a good job, a not-so-good job or a poor job.
. . ."

"When
you think about the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon, do you place a lot of blame, some blame, or no blame at all on the
United States intelligence agencies like the CIA and the FBI?"

A Lot

Some

None

Unsure

%

%

%

%

9/02

24

50

24

2

.

"When
you think about the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center
and the Pentagon, do you place a lot of blame, some blame, or no blame at
all on United States policies in the Middle East over the years?"

A Lot

Some

None

Unsure

%

%

%

%

9/02

21

54

20

5

5/02

23

50

20

7

.

"In the year since September 11, do
you think the federal government has done all it could reasonably be
expected to do to make the country safe from future terrorist attacks, or
could the government have done more?"
Half sample (Form D)

Done All
It Could

Could Have
Done More

Unsure

%

%

%

9/02

42

54

4

.

"Do you think the United States
is adequately prepared to deal with a biological or chemical attack, or not?"

"As you may know, shortly after the September
11th terrorist attacks, President Bush created the
office of Homeland Security. Now, Bush is proposing that this office be
combined with many existing government agencies to create a new cabinet-level
department. Do you think Congress should or should not pass legislation to
create a new cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security?"

Should

ShouldNot

No
Opinion

%

%

%

9/02

60

29

11

6/02

73

22

5

.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way the
following people are handling the war on terrorism since September 11th?How about
[see below]?"

Approve

Disap-
prove

No
Opinion

%

%

%

George W. Bush

9/02

75

23

2

12/01

87

10

3

11/01

89

8

3

Congress

9/02

67

27

6

11/01

77

16

7

The American people

9/02

86

10

4

12/01

90

8

2

.

"Which comes closer to your view?
The terrorists will always find a way to launch major attacks no
matter what the U.S. government does. OR,The U.S. government can eventually prevent all
major attacks if it works hard enough at it."

%

Terrorists will always find a way

60

Government can prevent all major attacks

37

No opinion

3

.

"Just your best guess:Do you think there are terrorists associated with
Osama bin Laden who are currently in the United States and are capable of
launching a major terrorist attack against the U.S., or not?"

"What do you think it will
take for the United States to eliminate the threat of future acts of
terrorism against this country by Osama bin Laden's organization? Will it be
enough to capture or kill bin Laden, OR will it ALSO be necessary to capture
or kill other top leaders in his organization, OR will removing top leaders
NOT eliminate the threat because too many cells and potential leaders would
remain?"

8/02

11/01

%

%

Enough to capture or kill bin Laden

10

11

Will also be necessary to capture or kill other
top leaders

27

43

Removing top leaders will not eliminate the
threat

54

40

Don't know

9

6

.

"Now I have some questions related to the
terrorist attacks that took place last September 11th.
How confident are you that U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies
will be able to prevent future terrorist attacks in the United States in
which large numbers of Americans are killed? Are you...
?"

8/02

6/02

%

%

Very
confident

13

10

Somewhat
confident

47

48

Not too
confident

25

24

Not at all
confident

13

16

Don't know

2

2

.

"In your opinion, how likely is it that more
terrorist attacks will be carried out against major U.S. cities, buildings
or national landmarks between now and the end of the year
2002?
Is it . . . ?"

%

Very likely

18

Somewhat
likely

48

Not too
likely

24

Not at all
likely

8

Don't know

2

.

"If there is another terrorist attack against the
United States in the near future, do you think it will most likely involve[see below]?"

8/02

6/02

%

%

Chemical or biological weapons

34

27

Conventional
explosives, such as a bombin a vehicle or onsomeone's person

“A bill was passed by
the House to create a cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security. Under
that bill, the new department would combine federal agencies such as the
Coast Guard, Secret Service, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency),
Immigration and Naturalization Service, Customs Service and the
Transportation Security Administration. Are you in favor of or opposed to
combining these agencies into one department?”

%

Favor

59

Oppose

27

Don't know

14

.

“How much confidence
do you have that the United States military will be able to protect the
country from terrorist attacks . . . ?”

%

A lot

31

Some

52

Not too much

13

None at all

3

Don't know

1

.

"Do
you think President Bush and his Administration have formulated a clear
policy for dealing with the war on terrorism, or do you think the Bush
Administration is reacting to events as they happen?"

%

Clear policy

38

Reacting

55

Don't know

7

.

"Do
you think it is necessary to give up some civil liberties in order to make
the country safe from terrorism, or do you think some of the government's
proposals will go too far in restricting the public's
civil liberties?"

"Would you
say that as a result of the terrorist attacks last
September, America has changed for the better,
changed for the worse, or
not really changed?"

%

For the
better

50

For the worse

15

Not really
changed

28

Don't know

7

.

"Have the
terrorist attacks of last September 11th caused you tochange any aspect of your personal life or activities in order to
reduceyour chances of being a victim of terrorist
attacks, or not?"

%

Have caused
changes

25

Have not
caused changes

73

Don't know

2

.

"How likely
do you think it is that there will be another
terrorist attack on the United States within the next several months:
very likely, somewhat likely, not very likely, or
not likely at all?"

%

Very likely

23

Somewhat
likely

40

Not very
likely

19

Not likely at
all

11

Don't know

7

.

"How
concerned are you that new measures enacted to fightterrorism in this country could end up restricting our individualfreedoms? Are you very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too
concerned, or not concerned at all?"

"How much
confidence do you have in the ability of the U.S. government to prevent
further terrorist attacks against Americans in this country: a great deal, a
good amount, only a fair amount or none at all?"

"Which comes closer
to your view: the U.S. accomplishments in Afghanistan will be a success even if Osama bin
Laden is not captured, or the U.S. accomplishments in Afghanistan will not be a success
until Osama bin Laden is captured?"

"Do you think the
U.S. Congress should or should not pass legislation to create a new cabinet
department of Homeland Security?"

Should

ShouldNot

No
Opinion

%

%

%

ALL

69

23

8

Republicans

72

22

6

Independents

70

23

7

Democrats

68

24

8

.

"Please tell me whether you think creating a
new Department of Homeland Security will or will not do each of the
following. . . ."

Will

Will
Not

Not
Sure

%

%

%

Make the U.S. more secure from future
terrorist attacks

71

24

5

Make you feel more secure personally

58

37

5

Cost too much

57

35

8

Create too much bureaucracy

52

39

9

Lead to abuses of power on the part of the
authorities

43

47

10

.

"How likely would
you say it is that an act of terrorism will occur in the U.S. on the 4th of
July: very likely, somewhat likely, not very likely, or not at all likely?"

Very
Likely

Somewhat
Likely

Not Very
Likely

Not At
All Likely

Not
Sure

%

%

%

%

%

6/02

13

44

27

11

5

CBS NewsPoll. June 18-20, 2002. N=892 adults nationwide. MoE ±
3.

.

"From what you have heard or read, do you think
Osama bin Laden is probably alive or probably dead?"

Alive

Dead

Don't
Know

%

%

%

6/02

80

12

8

5/02

81

12

7

2/02

82

12

6

.

"Some
people say that suspected terrorists should be tried in military courts with
a military judge and without a unanimous jury verdict in order to preserve
national security and protect jurors. Other people say this violates the
U.S. Constitution, and that suspected terrorists should be tried in criminal
court with a civilian judge and a unanimous jury verdict. Which would you
prefer, trying suspected terrorists in a military court, or trying them in a
criminal court?"

Military
Court

Criminal
Court

Don't
Know

%

%

%

ALL

57

36

7

Republicans

66

28

6

Democrats

49

46

5

Independents

58

34

8

.

"If the United States has
evidence that another nation is planning to use weapons against the U.S., is
the U.S. justified in taking military action against that government, or
not?"

Justified

Not
Justified

Don't
Know

%

%

%

6/02

83

9

8

.

"Do you think the President
should have to get the approval of Congress in order to take military action
against a nation that is planning to use weapons against the U.S., or should
he be able to make that decision himself?"

Get
Approval

President's
Decision

Don't
Know

%

%

%

ALL

49

47

4

Republicans

34

61

5

Democrats

65

32

3

Independents

45

51

4

.

"Do you approve or disapprove of
the recent proposal to create the Department of Homeland Security, a cabinet
department, which would unite a number of government agencies into one
department?"

Approve

Disap-
prove

Don't
Know

%

%

%

6/02

70

15

15

.

"Do you think it is a good idea
or a bad idea for the government in Washington to issue warnings to the
public about possible terrorist attacks, even if they don't have specific
information?"

"As it conducts
the war on terrorism, do you think the United States government is doing
enough to protect the rights of American citizens, or not?"

Is
DoingEnough

Is Not

Doing
Too Much
(vol.)

No
Opinion

%

%

%

%

6/02

65

30

2

3

.

"Do you think the
Bush Administration has been overstating the level of threat the country
faces from terrorism, understating it, or accurately describing it?"

%

Overstating the level

12

Understating it

39

Accurately describing it

45

No opinion

4

.

"Say an American
citizen is arrested on charges of planning an al
Qaeda terrorist attack in the United States. Should he be held by the U.S.
military as a wartime prisoner, without being put on trial or given access
to a lawyer; or should he be given access to a lawyer and put on trial in
the U.S. criminal court system?"

%

Held by military as a wartime prisoner

54

Put
on trial in criminal court system

42

No opinion

3

.

Asked of
those who answered "Put on trial in criminal court system":

"What if the U.S. government says that would jeopardize sensitive
intelligence -- should he still be put on trial, or held by the military
without trial?"

"How much
confidence do you have in the ability of the United States'
intelligence agencies to anticipate future terrorist attacks: a great deal
of confidence, quite a bit, just some, or very little confidence?"

Great
Deal

Quite
A Bit

Just
Some

Very
Little

Not
Sure

%

%

%

%

%

6/02*

13

26

40

19

2

4/02

11

29

44

16

-

12/01

17

31

37

13

2

.

"Based on what
you know now, do you believe that the attacks of September eleventh
represented a failure of the American intelligence and security systems, or
do you believe that these attacks were beyond what was reasonable to expect
the American intelligence and security systems to uncover?"

Failure

Beyond
What
Was
Reasonable

Not
Sure

%

%

%

6/02

45

49

6

5/02

42

50

8

9/15-16/01

47

45

8

9/12/01

41

49

10

.

"In dealing with
the investigation AFTER September eleventh, do you feel that the Bush
Administration has been open and candid on this issue, or have they been
withholding information that should have been made public?"

Open

With-
holding

Not
Sure

%

%

%

6/02

45

46

9

5/02

54

37

9

.

"In
addition to the current congressional hearings into the intelligence
failures of the CIA, FBI, and the Bush Administration,
do you think there should be an independent investigation conducted by
experts in foreign policy and security matters?"

Yes

No

Not
Sure

%

%

%

6/02

52

42

6

.

"As
you may know, President Bush announced plans to create a new cabinet-level
Department of Homeland Security. This department will consolidate many
activities dealing with security matters that are currently in several
different departments. Do you feel that this will make a real difference or
will not make a real difference in preventing future terrorist attacks in
America?"

Will

Will Not

Not
Sure

%

%

%

6/02

61

29

10

.

"I'm going to read you two statements about the
federal government's alerts about possible terrorist attacks. Please tell me
which one comes closer to your point of view. Statement A: The alerts do
more good than harm because they alert people to take safety precautions.Statement B: The alerts do more harm than good because they scare
people and cause them to worry about something that is out of their control."